Life Changing Moment

Do you ever have one of those moments that you know will change your life forever?  I've been fortunate to have had a few of them.  It happened again tonight.  The moment lasted 4 hours.  It included

• a dinner
• a dessert bar
• an Educational Assistant/BFF & friend of all things Tiara 
• a Social Media Strategist/Travel Specialist/Connector & someone I truly admire
• a Mortgage broker in transition to a new online identity. Who lives far away but just close enough
• a Mediator with a knack for always taking it all in & knowing all the right things to say
• a Real Estate Agent with a big heart. Who is always ready to do what he can to help
• an Apple Specialist that applies his knowledge to help people on the other side of the globe
• a Software professional that taught us all to Think Big & Then Think BIGGER
• Brantford Royalty, who always make me feel like I belong & included & appreciated
• A Social Media professional who loves travel books & easily fits in with our crew from all walks of life
• A Rock Star who believes in our goal & willing to give his name & reputation to what we will accomplish

Tonight we went from the "small potates #140confSWO" to the "Larger Than Life #140confONT"

Tonight we were taken seriously by 140 Characters Conference creator Jeff Pulver. 

Tonight we listened to the stories of events past, and felt like we there.  Four hours passed quicker than five minutes tonight.  I could have stayed and listened for hours and hours more.  Jeff shared what his conference started out as, and what it has become. 
There was something in the air tonight.  I think all of there felt it.  It was a sense of pride.  We are doing this here, in Kitchener, in Waterloo Region, in Southwestern Ontario, for all Ontario and are the first in Canada.

The 140 Conference is coming to Canada.  Sept 15, 2011

We have Jeff's blessing and will take pride in becoming the first team to bring it North of the USA border.

This night will be remembered as a moment in time.  A time where someone who didn't already know me and my group of extrodinary friends and gave us a gift of trust.

Using Rare Sense To Deflate The Elephant

Many of you have heard me go on about about how COMMON sense is NOT common and how I refer to it as RARE sense.

PLEASE show me that you have this sense and have pre-planned for your long weekend!

Not sure what I mean? Well lets just say I plan ahead while others don't.

You see I don't drink if I
A)  Have my car
B)  Have my child with me
and for the most part I usually have both

So when we go visiting I usually bring my own bottle of Ginger ale with me because most BBQ's I've been to give you the choice of BEER or Juice Boxes that were meant for the kids.

Then I usually get the "Oh come on, why did you bring Pop? You can have a Beer. You'll be here for hours and your son is older now, you don't need to run after him any more".

To which I reply "Well if something happens who's going to be able to take him to the hospital?"

Ah yes RARE sense gets them every time.

Now I imagine how different the convo would have went if they had said "Oh come on, why did you bring Pop?  We made the special Mocktails from @CocktailDeeva 's video"



Now that is pre-planning & what RARE sense is all about!

For more tips on how to pre-plan (& prove you possess RARE sense) make sure to visit the Deflate The Elephant website and facebook page

UPDATE

Last week I was asking for your generosity and so many came through in a BIG WAY-Thankfully Barb kept track of all the names


Karl Nieva
Tammy Jo Moore Hiemstra
Carolyn at Bingeman's
Christa from Baden
Jennifer Gough
Catherine Graham
Nickie Wylie
Reg Thompson
Dee Brun
Melissa Gissing
Chasity Kunda
Peter and Mary Moir
Andrea Johnston
& many more that dropped off items on Barb's porch & came by the sale to shop & enter the raffles.

Taking the time to gather items &/or coming by to the sale is appreciated more than you realize.

Earlier this week Barb received this letter from her Sister

Sometimes in your life you are so overshelmed that you don't know what to do. Up seems like down and down seems sideways. And through all this some amazing people touch your life and make you feel better. Suddenly it doesn't matter what is up or what is down. What matters is faith in mankind. Faith in those that care for people they do not know and are willing to help.


May God bless eveyone who has given time and effort into helping. They say what goes around comes around. May you all be blessed with an act of kindness. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you


Linda & Brian
Grimsby, Ontario
-----------------------
and Barb wanted to add this note to her new found friends

It is so very heartwarming to live in a community that comes together, shows support and gives comfort to strangers. I thank you all for caring enough to help, as you did, in so many ways. Your generosity will stay with me always.



Blessings,
Barb Irwin
-------------------------

I personally want to give kudos to Barb for this was quite an undertaking.  She collected, sorted, priced & sold all with the thoughts of what happened to her Sister's home weighing on her.

Now for an UPDATE -  At this point the inspectors think the home can be fixed (last week it was thought it may have to be bulldozed), but the timeline is still sitting at a year before they can moved back in. 

The Yard sale raised $655 & with most items priced at a dollar or less, that tells you just how much stuff Barb sold.  This will be used for "out of pocket" expenses for the family (they left the home just with the clothes on their backs and are currently staying in a hotel so they cannot store anything).

Again, I can't thank everyone enough that got involved.  I wish I could put into words how much I appreciate everything you did to help. Your generosity made the difference.



Asking for your Generosity

According to Wikipedia Generosity is the habit of giving freely without expecting anything in return. It can involve offering time, assets or talents to aid someone in need.
This is the reason I am asking for your GENEROSITY.

I know a wonderful family in Waterloo that had something terrible happen to their relatives in Grimsby last week.

It's easier if I quote Barb speaking about what happened to her Sister's home...

can't stop thinking about my sister Linda and Brian, and Wesley. Glad they are safe but still devasted for the loss of their home. I know you can't contact us right now but know you are in our every thought and in our prayers....

During the wind storms last week a tree fell on Barb's Sister's home.
When I saw that message I contacted Barb right away to find out what had happened.  This what I was told ..

Right now all that we know is they are homeless, left with nothing but the clothing on their backs. The house has been officially condemned. I spoke last lnight with Linda finally, as they had no means to contact people as the hydro and tellies were out in Grimsby...

...she is a tough, tough lady but this has broken her spirit and I am heartbroken for them. They barely escaped with their lives...

...niece is pregnant with her 3rd and was at Linda's house to tell her and Wes to leave the house because trees were starting to fall. She was picking up her son from the school behind Linda's house because the weather had turned horrific and she was worried for him.

After this devastation the family has been told by Disater workers that their home is condemmed.  They will not be able to go near their home FOR A YEAR.

Here are pics of what the house looks like now. 

They lost everything.  Right now they are staying in a hotel and have been told by the Disaster workers to find an apartment for the next year (there might even be the possibilty of them never going in & the house being bulldozed).

**This Saturday May 7th 2011, in Waterloo, Barb and her family are having a fundraising yard sale in order to raise some money to help her Sister's family.  I know a lot of us have lots of swag and other stuff lying around.  If you have anything you can donate please let me know so I can make arrangements to come and get it.  You can email those2girls@writeme.com twitter @those2girls or facebook my inbox lisamcdonald122

If you have large items I will put you in touch with Barb, as I just have a car.  I know many of you are busy, so even "porch pick up" will do. 

If you don't have anything to donate, please take some time visit the sale at

               104 Craigston Pl Waterloo between 9am-noon.

Thank-you in advance for YOUR generosity.  It is very appreciated and WILL make a difference to those it affected.

Jewel - Hands by Amzer

Cultural Exchange 2.0

Many of you know I do a weekly blast through my local Facebook Group & Blog Stuff To Do With Your Kids In Kitchener Waterloo, but not many of you know why I do it.

In KW there are two sets of FREE/LOW COST Children's Activities.  The first is for Children 6 and under.  The second is for those 13 and up.

If you have a child the age of 7 to 12 you've got a dilema. YES there are all kinds of organizations IE Minor Sports, Drama Schools, Music Lessons etc. to sign up for, but the costs are very high and if you want to do more than one it can be difficult on a budget.

If you're child is very young there are FREE library programs, Early Childhood Centres, Playgroups etc.

If you're a teen there are EYEGO programs, youth festivals etc.

They've forgotten about the tweens here.  They aren't old enough to go places without their parents, but too old to be amused by sing a-longs and cut and paste projects.

There are lots of events in KW but without budgets for advertising it's difficult to get the word out about them (we used to live for the summer, being many of the outdoor festivals offer fun for all).  That's why I do the weekly blast, I research for family events happening locally & glady welcome info from others about great KW happenings and get the word out to the parents in this area.

I saw a "problem" & I found a way to do something about it.

Today THEMUESEUM (a place I fully support any opportunity I get) hosted #CulturalExchange2 which was an evening to meet local candidates and hear their views on Arts & Culture in KW.

I think my "problem" would count as Culture based one.  I figured if I complain about this problem I should be taking steps to rectify it and saw this as an opportunity to hear the opinions of others, about this, and other topics surrounding the Arts & Culture Community in this Region.

I loved the way that the event was set up.  Thankfully it was NOT a debate.  I hate the me vs. you, or it's all their fault type of discussions.

The event was set up as groupings.  Each Candidate had 3 mins to talk about Arts & Culture.  Then the candidates were rotated from table to table to discuss with the attendees their thoughts on the topics.

Our table had an Artist, a CBC advocate, a Social Media/Venue pressence and a MOM.

Being that I am NOT shy I spoke to everyone that came to our table (that's why we were there right?) about Arts & Culture in KW.  I feel we (our table)were heard and I think that candidates felt the same.  One thing did strike me as extremely memorable.  One candidate asked if I was an artist, to which I replied no and explained my "problem"/reason for attending.  I brought up the point that many TEEN events are not well attended because they lose them over the TWEEN years and wonder why they don't come back.  I also mentioned that experiencing new things is also a part of the learning process and the TWEENS may have carried that on to TEEN years had they been given that encouragement from the Arts and Culture sector. The candidates and attendees at the table did not realize that there was such a gap for tween kids in KW.  I hope they do something to change that now that they have been informed. 

Many thanks to THEMUSEUM for hosting an event that opened eyes from both sides of the table.

Following Fans

There are all kinds of blog tours (blog carnivals, memes however you refer to them) to help gain blog readers. There are also comment loops to increase traffic and twitter parties almost every night to help you gain followers and get people reading your info.

What I've noticed a lot of lately are a lot of "Hey want to follow my Fan Page?" requests. I myself am included in this request statement.

No matter how much you update, send invites for followers, add Like buttons linking to the page, etc. I've found it hard to gain followers on the Fan Pages I admin and keep the Fans engaging on the Fan Pages.

My Facebook Profile and Twitter Profile are growing steadily and I am thankful for that, but it seems unless you are a HUGE corporation a lot Fan Pages don't increase in numbers the way that other networks do.

So I've Got A Plan....

Following Fans!

It works like the blog tours, but with a few simple rules if you would like to participate

• You must have a Facebook Fan Page that get updated AT LEAST once a week (preferrably more to keep your audience engaged)
• Remember to be HELPFUL to the pages you LIKE (Thumbs Up, Comments etc)
• If you REALLY REALLY REALLY like their content, make sure to add it to your Page Favorites

Remember the more you give the more you get!

How Do YOU Join in the fun?  Just put the info the boxes below

1. The Name Of Your Facebook Fan Page
2. Your Email (it won't be displayed)
3. The URL for your Facebook Fan Page (IE http://www.facebook.com/Those2Girls6DegreesOfUs)

When you hit submit it will make a clickable link to your Fan Page. What are you waiting for? Submit yours & start checking out the others listed. A little LIKE can go a LONG way!

Eminem Dr Dre and Those2Girls

Driving home today the new Eminem/Dr Dre I NEED A DOCTOR tune came on.  As I'm singing along I came to the realization that their solid friendship is a lot like Diane & my friendship, with the exception of the F-Bombs & Rap Skills.
I know that sounds WHACK (Gangsta enough for you?) but it's true.

We always have each other's back no matter the situation.  We believe in each others goals and are always open to see what new challenges/fun/adventures are coming our way.  We know what Dre & Marshall are talking about when they say about others talking SMACK (see I can do this).  We've been told that we're draining, loud, intense, our ideas won't work, we will fail miserably trying, I could go on, but just like that DUO we don't let any of that noise get in our way.

Why did I write all of this?  Diane needs some cheering up.  She's been ill all week (& truthfully for the better part of month) and needs some encouragement.  She's frustrated and feels that the doctors, pharmascists, natural food store services reps etc. aren't listening to her

But I'm listening.

Sometimes I lean on her, sometimes she leans on me.  Sometimes she's Eminem & Sometimes she's Dr. Dre.

Take a listen & you'll know what I mean



When she's back to perfect health, who knows what we'll tackle next.  Do you have someone like this in your life?  Who's your Eminem?